Review: 'Computer Chess' a few moves away from great satire

Patrick Riester as Peter Bishton in "Computer Chess." (Kino Lorber / July 31, 2013)August 1, 2013, 3:21 p.m.You need no particular knowledge or affection for the game of kings to appreciate the whimsy of "Computer Chess."The genius of this indie is its cleverness in capturing the driest of times and the dullest of people in a faux documentary about the early days of man versus machine at the chessboard."Computer Chess" does not reach the heights of the grand master of faux, Christopher Guest, whose "Best in Show" and "Waiting For Guffman" are brilliant studies in satire. But director Andrew Bujalski makes a serious play for his own place in the pantheon of hysterically pretentious pretend.PHOTOS: Summer Sneaks 2013Bujalski, who also wrote the film, takes us to the early 1980s, when computer nerds were not high-tech, high-rolling whiz kids with stock options in the millions. Instead, he's populated the. Sports activities betting is an action of predicting sports activities benefits by creating a wager on the outcome of a sporting event. Possibly much more than other varieties of gambling, the legality and general acceptance of these sports activities betting varies from nation to nation. The pioneer in gambling of all varieties, particularly horses, greyhounds and sports has been the United kingdom. Even so, due to the fact 2002 is becoming carried out all the growth of virtual betting houses, focusing on sports betting, which is coming to all European and American nations. A sample of this development can be observed in the detail of that sports betting is the existing sponsor of Real Madrid.

The on the internet bookmakers give us a really huge number of possibilities in all types of sporting events. We can locate distinct varieties of bets: single, combined, brief-term, live or live, long-term, amongst other folks.

place with the pocket-protector bunch complete with Coke-bottle glasses, bad haircuts and a perpetual state of social unease.A few of the brightest — MIT and Caltech sensations among them — have gathered for a regional weekend conference to pit their programming skills and their latest chess software against one another. The winner will take on a chess master, an old-school conventional type portrayed by Gerald Peary.As Henderson, sporting the requisite department-store suit, white shirt and dark tie, he is also the convention's host, making the bold prediction that it will be 1984 before a computer will best him.VIDEO: Upcoming summer filmsIn real life, it would be the late 1980s before machine would beat man at this particular game and another decade before the famed 1997 face-off between world champ Garry Kasparov and Deep Blue. The win went to Blue.Bujalski is not interested in such high-profile doings. His film is very much on computer chess in the trench warfare stage. The hard drives are still gigantic, waist-high and require a couple of guys to push into place. The "play" itself is spit out in computer code with a person moving the indicated piece on an actual board.Lurking around the edges is a cameraman (Kevin Bewersdorf) with a first-generation camcorder recording "history in the making." The film extends the effect — grainy black-and-white, hand-held shake and dizzying pans. Instead of a distraction, the found-footage feel only adds to a sense we've been taken to a place out of time. Helping is director of photography Matthias Grunsky, costume designer Colin Wilkes and production designer Michael Bricker's keen attention to detail.PHOTOS: Billion-dollar movie clubThe chess match is not the only game in town; the competition is sharing hotel space with a couples-therapy group. And much is made of the lone female programmer, a convention first. But Shelly (Robin Schwartz) is barely audible — this is still a boys' club.The focus soon narrows to one team — a more conventional group anchored by Peter (Patrick Riester) and Martin (Wiley Wiggins) — and one rogue programmer named Michael Papageorge (Myles Paige). Things are not going well for either.The actors have to walk a fine line between playing it straight while getting as close as possible to absurd. For the most part, they do a good job of it.Scheduling issues provide additional complications in the plot. But these threads and the couples-therapy scenes feel more of an afterthought. When a couple try to recruit one of the nerds for sex games, it threatens to destroy the illusion.But I guess it is only fitting that a film about computers would have a few glitches.betsy.sharkey@latimes.com ---------------------------- 'Computer Chess'MPAA rating: Not ratedRunning time: 1 hour, 32 minutesPlaying: At Nuart Theatre, West Los Angeles

PHOTOS AND MORE

VIDEO: Upcoming summer films

ENVELOPE: The latest awards buzz

PHOTOS: Greatest box office flops

I got to see this piece of work Thursday night. Totally loved it! The film was unlike anything I've ever seen and I couldn't agree more with this review. The whole irony in the humor is that there aren't any punchlines, it's the whole feel of the movie that provides the laughs. Bujalski did an amazing job on this film, I completely respect him and have developed a new found admiration for him. I'm definitely going to have to check out some of his other films.I have to applaud Andrew Bujalski for completing a project so experimental and esoteric that it's refrshing and inspirational to watch--to an extent. This is absolutely nothing like what Christopher Guest does. This film is too spot on (he used real computer programers and friends to play characters) to draw out the satire. There is no wit in the dialogue in this film. I do hope Bujaiski pursues mockumentaries but the beauty is in the wit and editing. Coming out of this film, was there one remerable line? I know 99 percent was improv, but this is percisely why you need charaters who can pull that off iike Eugene Levy, Michael KcKean or Jennifer Coolidge. I'm sure there are some excellent unknown improv actors out there he could Tap into. A cat walking out of the elevator is not funny. I became interested when the film turned fantastical at the end, but it was disjointed. Bujalski has something different to offer and just that is exciting for those of us who love a great mockumentry. But get more irony, sarcasm, ridicule and wit into the film to expose the vice of your choice--which is the definition of satire.Every show. Every game. Every ticket. Be the first on your street to see the show.Share your summer travel photos. We'll publish the best in print and online. 2012 highlights